Aftermath
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Margaret Maria Stark was nervous. Nervous and really, really excited. She had spent the last two days trying to convince her Mum that Uncle Tony would be really happy to see them all. She had agreed, partially. Teddy was at Hogwarts now and Mum had agreed that yes, Emmy would be allowed to come along. But the little ones had to go to Devon. And now eight year old Emmy (almost nine, please) was sitting in a limousine with tinted glass. On a military airstrip in southern Germany. Sadly she hadn't actually gotten to see anything of Germany yet. They had flown into a private airstrip, via private plane and gotten into a private limousine. Everything was very private, indeed. Emmy knew her parents were always worried about safety, but this was the first time she had ever felt... different.
She knew Mum didn't want to worry her and was probably just as happy to have Uncle Tony back, as Emmy herself. But she started to regret that she had insisted on coming along. Mum didn't even look like herself. She wore black muggle-clothing, black sunglasses and a very strict ponytail. Not even her face really looked like Mum. She seemed... much colder. More like Dad looked, when he got really angry.
Emmy might already be a big girl, but... she carefully grabbed her Mum's hand and put her head on Mum's arm.
"Are you alright, love?"
"Mh."
"Don't worry too much. Tonight we will all be home again. And your Dad said Uncle Tony was okay."
Reassuring words, but Emmy could practically feel the worry radiating off her mother.
Mum had tried not to let the kids know too much, but... well, they were all at least a little bit sneaky. And Uncle George kept them well supplied. They had heard Mum talking to Aunt Luna the day before. About how they were worried about Uncle Tony. One sentence in particular was burned into Emmy's mind: "You and I both know he is not just going to be okay. We have seen it. We have felt it. We know."
That sentence by her Mum had told Emmy so much more about her family than she really wanted to know right now.
"You think he will be happy to see me?", Emmy asked, feeling self conscious about her being here. What if Uncle Tony just wanted peace and quiet and not his niece babbling away at him. She talked too much. She knew that. Or at least people kept telling her.
"I think he will be really happy. I just didn't want to take everyone, because I want you all to be safe."
"Is it dangerous here?", Emmy looked at her mother in shock. She knew this couldn't be true. Mum would never endanger her.
"Oh no, but you know how we don't want the press to take pictures of you guys. Which is why you are going to stay in the car."
"I know.", Emmy rolled her eyes and tried to look relaxed, but the atmosphere was still worrying.
It took ten more minutes before Emmy finally saw the big, clunky military plane land and make its way over the airstrip towards them. American soldiers were standing there, waiting to greet their most important weapon's contractor. A medical team stood by. Suddenly Emmy was scared again. Did Uncle Tony need help? Was he hurt? She knew he'd been treated in a hospital, when they had found him.
There was a bustle of commotion outside. People were straightening up. Emmy let go of her mother inching closer to the window. There was a plane coming in. Dad and Uncle Tony.
When the plane finally came to a halt on the airfield, Emmy earned a last, warning glance from her mother, before she was left behind the darkly tinted glass by herself. Immediately Emmy took her Mum's now vacant seat and peered through the window. Dad was the first to exit the plane. Muggle clothes on, a duffel bag in hand and severely tanned and disheveled, Emmy didn't even recognize him as her father at first. He jogged down the gangway and hugged Mum with so much enthusiasm, that he actually lifted her off her feet. Even from a distance, Emmy could hear her mother laugh in surprise and happiness. It didn't matter what they were wearing, Emmy realized, some things about her parents would never change.
Uncle Tony exited the plane while her Dad was still holding on to her Mum. Just like her Dad, he looked a far cry from his normal, styled public persona. But he, too, smiled happily, when he saw her Mum. Although his way down the gangway was much slower and he was followed closely by a small, older man with glasses, who looked around warily. Emmy was pretty sure she had never seen him before, but once Uncle Tony had hugged her Mum, the four made their way over to the car together.
Hurriedly Emmy slipped back into her own seat, as if that was somehow important. Her Dad was the first one through the door. Not even stopping to sit down, he almost crashed into Emmy, pulling her down to the floor and hugging her as tightly, as only Dad could, while kissing the top of her head.
Yes, Emmy thought, breathing in deeply, this was right. He still smelt like Dad.
"I missed you, Margaret.", he told her softly, and Emmy thought she might cry out of sheer happiness. Finally.
"Hey Emmy.", Uncle Tony spoke so softly, Emmy almost didn't believe it was him. Maybe he really was hurt badly? She let go of her father and looked at her uncle with worried eyes.
"No hug for your old uncle?"
Carefully she inched closer, noticing the slight protrusion on his chest and eyeing it wearily.
There was an almost unnoticeable shift in Tony's face, as he noticed Emmy's stare, but he opened his arms nonetheless and Emmy decided that it really couldn't be that bad and fell into his arms, trying to be careful, but Tony was having none of that. He hugged her just as tightly as her father had. Those two simply gave the best hugs, Emmy was sure of it. Teddy's were pretty great, too. Starkmen.
"Emmy, this is my friend Yinsen. Yinsen, meet Margaret Stark."
"Nice to meet you.", Emmy told him politely, just as she had been taught.
"Likewise, Miss Stark."
"I brought the jet.", Ginny told them quietly, her worried gaze fixed on Tony and something akin to mistrust directed at Yinsen. She obviously didn't like the presence of a stranger anywhere near her family. They had all settled into seats now, with Emmy securely seated between both her parents.
"No. The army is flying me back home.", Uncle Tony gave Mum a weary look.
"What? No. I put in a request to have you treated in 's.
You need to come home with..."
"I am fine, Ginny, but there are things I need to do."
"Fine?! You have a hole...", her Mum stopped and Emmy could have cried out of frustration. For a bit she had hoped her Mum had forgotten all about her. No such luck.
She could feel her father's hand moving behind her to land on her Mum's back.
"I AM fine.", Uncle Tony repeated, but even Emmy didn't believe him, "And there ARE things I have to do right now."
"What could possibly be so important that you are willing to risk...", again she stopped. Emmy could hear her breathing carefully. Dad sometimes did that, too, when he got really angry or frustrated.
"Tony is a grown man.", her Dad said in a voice Emmy knew all too well. He used it on his kids, occasionally, when he was really angry but decided to explain instead. Uncle Tony seemed to recognize it, too.
"You said you understood. You wanted to help."
There was a distinct tone of betrayal in Uncle Tony's voice. Emmy could feel her father go rigid.
"I also haven't seen my family in a long time. Give me a week and I'll be there. Give yourself that week, too."
"No. I can't wait that long."
"Tony. I understand. Really, I do, but you can't just..."
"You were the one that never got involved in SI, because you don't like what we do. Now I wanna change that and you..."
"Stop it. Both of you."
Emmy flinched. She had come here to see her family again, not hear them fight. Her gaze wandered towards Yinsen. He looked almost as uncomfortable as Emmy herself.
Emmy could see her father's fingers drum on his left leg. Uncle Tony was rummaging through his pocket, painstakingly avoiding eye contact. Emmy was still trying to stay invisible, so she didn't dare to look up and see her mother's expression. Judging from her tone, though, the adults all seemed to be frustrated with each other.
"Tony, you have just been through a lot. Both Harry and I would feel better, if you would come and stay with us for a while. But Harry and I do know what it's like. So if you really need to do this right now then we will respect that.", Emmy couldn't believe it. Was her Mum really using her 'fighting kids' voice?!
Emmy could see Yinsen trying to hide a smile. Okay. He had noticed it, too.
There was loaded silence, before Uncle Tony finally said: "Two days. But then we will have to go and get SI in order."
There was another pause and Emmy suspected that her father must have nodded, because her mother pressed the call button next to her and told the driver to leave.
"Will they just let us go?", Yinsen spoke carefully, for the first time, since he had said hello to Emmy, "Don't they all want to debrief us?"
Still Emmy could not see her mother's face, but her tone was quite telling: "They did. I took care of it."